Edinburgh & Glasgow Tourist Information

Edinburgh City Centre Tourism

Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, is an inviting package of cultural, historical, architectural and contemporary attractions and is one of the UK's most visited cities. Boasting a host of monuments, museums (which include the Museum of Scotland), some of the best art galleries in the UK (including Scotland's National Gallery) and a character medieval Old Town and Georgian New Town, you could easily fill a week's holiday in Edinburgh with activities which lean to the cultural side.

Edinburgh's natural landscape, set as it is on a selection of old volcanic hills and lochs, boosts its character. Most of the city's attractions are packed into the city centre so Edinburgh is easily explored on foot. This, combined with a choice of Edinburgh guest houses and Edinburgh hotels in both the Old Town and New Town make Edinburgh one of the best city break locations in Europe, up there with the likes of Lisbon and Barcelona. Lothian Buses (weblink right) run and excellent and great value bus service around Edinburgh City centre and north to Leith. They also lay on open top bus sightseeing tours. Check the Lothian buses weblinks right for details.

Visitors coming to Edinburgh through August and into the beginning of September will be coming with the crowds. This is Edinburgh Festival time, plus the military gathering of the Edinburgh Tattoo which attracts huge numbers of visitors. Pre-book accommodation well in advance in central Edinburgh if you're planning to visit during the Edinburgh Festival period.

Edinburgh is Scotland's administrative centre, the Scottish Parliament is based here with its jazzy new Scottish Parliament building just opposite the palace. Added boost to Scotland's capital has been given by the UNESCO tag of World City of Literature. The Edinburgh Pass entitles you to free entry to Edinburgh Museums and attractions, plus unlimited free transport including Edinburgh Airport free bus return plus a guidebook and exclusive offers thrown in. You can buy the pass for one, two or three days and cheaper child passes are available. If you're really tearing through Edinburgh's many museums, art galleries, the castle and other attractions this pass can mean big savings.

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Around Edinburgh & East Coast

Musselburgh sits at the mouth of the River Esk on the banks of the Firth of Forth. The Eskmill complex on Station Road in Musselburgh, now a contemporary art, office and restaurant space, was once Stuart Mill, producing fishing nets which were exported all over the world.

Scotland's historic canals, particularly the Forth & Clyde Canal from Grangemouth to Bowling south of Dumbarton and the Edinburgh Union Canal from Edinburgh to Falkirk, are seeing a revival. Both canals join at the design masterpiece - the Falkirk Wheel, now one of Scotland's most popular attractions and a marvel of modern engineering and design. Both Falkirk and Linlithgow sit at the heart of this regeneration project, with the Falkirk Wheel being the major attraction and the superb Scottish Canal Museum based at the Linlithgow Canal Centre at the Manse Basin. Linlithgow is also the location of Linlithgow Palace, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.

The Berwickshire coast path running along the Scottish Borders east coast is a major attraction for walkers, with the central focus at the St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The pretty centres of St Abbs Village and fishing harbour Eyemouth are popular bases on the coast.

Historic Dunbar, actually just sneaking into the Lothians, is particularly popular with American visitors coming to visit the birthplace of American legend John Muir. Famous campaigner and botanist, Muir was responsible for establishing national parks like Yosemite in the States.

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Glasgow City Centre Tourism

Glasgow city centre is difficult to pin down, it's a city that sprawls, but the sprawling essentially gives Glasgow character and offers the visitor a choice of several themed centres. Glasgow's transport hub is around Argyle Street and George Square, with the Tourist information centre on George Square - buses and trains converge here.

You've other clusters of attractions which form more Glasgow centres to the West around Kelvingrove Park, another cluster around Glasgow Cathedral to the east of George Square and an ongoing developing centre along the Clyde River around the Glasgow Science Centre and Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC). Outside the West End and East End clusters of attractions ranging from Glasgow art galleries to Glasgow Botanical Gardens, you've a scattering of of attractions all over including the renowned Burrell art collection south at Pollok Country Park and the exciting new Glasgow Science centre on the south side of the Clyde River.

Glasgow has a superb public transport network which includes numerous buses, a subway and a comprehensive rail network. Not to mention two bustling Glasgow Airports - Glasgow International Airport just 8 miles from the city centre and Glasgow Prestwick Airport situated 30 miles to the South near Ayr. Direct trains and buses run regularly from both Glasgow Airports into the city centre.

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Glasgow North & South, Around Glasgow, Glasgow International Airport

Just to the North of the Clyde bank a number of top locations offer a host of historic (some ancient) sites and serve as excellent bases for pushing into the Highlands and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Dumbarton has two superb tourist attractions - Dumbarton Castle and the Scottish Maritime Museum's unique Denny's Tank Experience.

To the North of Glasgow there's a good scattering of attractive towns, some with a cheery village atmosphere including Milngavie and Bearsden. They're good options as bases if you don't like staying within city centres, but still want easy access into Glasgow, and indeed north to the Highlands and east to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.

Glasgow International Airport, situated just 8 miles to the Southwest of Glasgow City Centre, is the busiest of Scotland's three big international airports. By 2004 it was handling over one million passengers (the first of Scotland's Airports to do so).

South of Glasgow into the Clyde Valley you'll arrive at Blantyre, famous particularly as the birthplace of explorer and missionary David Livingstone. New Lanark Mills in South Lanarkshire is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and a unique opportunity to learn more about the co-operative vision of Robert Owen and early philanthropists.

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Scottish Borders

The Scottish Borders are home to a superb choice of quality woollen mills and Scottish cashmere, nowhere more so than historic Hawick. Find fine quality fabrics, knitwear and Scottish gifts discount outlets galore in the Hawick area, with big name outlets such as Peter Scott.

Both Kelso and Jedburgh are dominated by their historic abbeys. Kelso the larger was a powerhouse in its day. Their abbey ruins are a highlight in the Scottish Borders, situated on the popular Border Abbeys Way.

Melrose is one of the prettiest of the Scottish Border towns with a number of important historical Borders attractions in and around it. Historic gems include the striking Melrose Abbey dating from 1136. The Romans were here in Melrose before the Abbey was built, and a Roman Heritage Centre explores Roman heritage not just in Melrose and the Scottish Borders, but also in Scotland as a whole. Just 3 miles to the west of Melrose sits one of the Scottish Borders most visited historic sites - Abbotsford and its 600 acres, home of Sir Walter Scott. Scott turned what was a small farmhouse into what he called a 'Conundrum Castle', at considerable expense, situated on the banks of the River Tweed.

Those in the know, know that Peebles directly south of Edinburgh (just a 30 minute drive) in the Borders is one of the best areas in Scotland for outdoor activities, particularly mountain biking, golf, fishing and walking. Peebles is Tweed Valley Forest Park territory, and this attractive Borders town/come village is an extremely popular base with walkers and mountain bikers. Peebles is crammed with choice country pubs, arts and crafts shopping and an arts centre. Its close proximity to Edinburgh makes it a popular day trip.

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